East from Gaviota State Park, the south facing shoreline features warm, pretty beaches backed by the Santa Ynez Mountains. The Gaviota coast features 3 fine State Parks and a contentious debate about saving the last big undeveloped coastal area left in southern California. The fate of this coast hangs in the balance: will it be golf courses, housing tracts and monster mansions, or will the value of habitat and open space win out? Further east, beyond Coal Oil Point, the coast becomes urbanized. The University of California Santa Barbara sits on the shore at Isla Vista, and then a long sandy beach extends from Goleta to Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara and its environs feature Spanish architecture, a vigorous tourist industry, a spirited and artistic populace, and an inviting shoreline. [Richard Nichols]